The Crying Indian provided the guilt-inducing tear that the group needed to propagandize without seeming propagandistic and countered the claims of a political movement without seeming political.

Question: Who was the crying Indian in the late '70s (I think)?Answer: I assume you mean the man who played the crying Native American in the memorable Keep America Beautiful public-service ad ...

Keep America Beautiful announced that it will retire the “Crying Indian” ad, which made its first appearance in 1971, and transfer the rights to the National Congress of American Indians Fund.

The ad drew accolades when it first aired in 1971 but also, more recently, derision. A Native American advocacy group that acquired the rights to the ad said it would be “put to bed.” ...

Iron Eyes Cody, the ''Crying Indian'' whose tearful face in 1970s TV commercials became a powerful symbol of the anti-littering campaign, is pictured in this 1986 photo. AP hide caption ...

Iron Eyes Cody, the ”Crying Indian” whose tearful face in 1970s TV commercials became a powerful symbol of the anti-littering campaign, is pictured in this 1986 photo.

OK, so let’s look at a photo of an actual Indian crying, and over something a lot worse than littering. Here’s George Gillette, who in 1948 was the chairman of the Mandan, Arikara, and Hidatsa ...

Rights to ‘Crying Indian’ ad to go to Native American group By . Associated Press. Published March 2, 2023. Updated March 2, 2023, 10:23 a.m. ET. Explore More ...

FILE - Iron Eyes Cody, the ''Crying Indian'' whose tearful face in 1970s TV commercials became a powerful symbol of the anti-littering campaign, is pictured in this 1986 photo.

Iron Eyes Cody, the ''Crying Indian'' whose tearful face in 1970s TV commercials became a powerful symbol of the anti-littering campaign, is pictured in this 1986 photo. AP Photo, File.

The iconic 1971 anti-pollution ad shows a man in Native American attire shed a single tear at the sight of smokestacks and litter taking over a once unblemished landscape.

But as she grew up, Folsom noticed how media devoted little coverage to Native American environmental activists. “There’s no agency for that sad so-called Indian guy sitting in a canoe, crying ...